Theah Loudemia Russell, an 18-year-old day care worker at Rocking Horse Ranch child care center in Minnesota, has been arrested for allegedly suffocating two babies, leading to the death of 11-month-old Harvey Muklebust. Russell admitted her crime to the police, which she claimed to have committed as an attention-seeking measure.
On September 19, police began their investigation as they were informed of a 4-year-old child not breathing at the center Russell worked at. The child also had blood and foam near her mouth and nose, but she survived after the parents took her to the hospital.
However, after the child was sent to the day care on the following Monday, it was reported again that she was not breathing and had to be taken to a hospital. Then, after two hours, Russell called 911 to inform authorities that another child, Muklebust, was not breathing. Unfortunately, the infant could not be saved even though first responders tried to revive him on the scene.
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Russell was zeroed in on as a suspect because of her behavior at the time of both these incidents. Explaining the same, Savage Police Chief Brady Juell said, “She had last contact with each of the affected children immediately prior to these events.” It is important to note that she had been working at the day care facility for three months, which raises serious questions about the vetting process that the facility follows.
As the investigators started digging into Russell’s background, a disturbing pattern of attention-seeking behavior emerged, which showed that she had started fires at a church camp and even repeatedly called 911 to report “nonsensical” events and hung up.
After she was arrested on Tuesday, she confessed to the crime and admitted that she carried it out to get attention. Police Chief Juell confirmed the same, saying, “Theah Russell has confessed to the attempted murder of our first victim on two occasions and to the murder of Harvey Muklebust.”
Juell also addressed the child’s family, adding, “No words can fully express the profound sorrow we feel for the Muklebust family and all of those affected by this crime. Our thoughts remain with Harvey’s loved ones, and we are committed to supporting them through every step that will undoubtedly be a long and difficult journey.”
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Harvey Muklebust’s grandmother spoke about the tragedy and how it affected the family, saying, “Harvey was such a blessing to our family, and his death has left a tremendous hole in our hearts. Harvey’s fingerprints are on my sliding glass door, and his drool stains still show on his crib sheets. Those are the little things that I’m not ready to wash away.”
Russell now remains in custody on a $3.5 million bail as she has been charged with assaulting the child who survived and the murder of Harvey Muklebust. The day care center she worked at lost its license, though authorities are trying to get it reopened.
